Paul O’Neill’s brief “Seinfeld” cameo is still paying off — literally.
The former New York Yankees star appeared in the episode “The Wink” in season 7 as just one of several Yankees to be on the hit series throughout its dominance in the 1990s.
In case you’re unfamiliar, O’Neill’s episode is the one where Kramer (played by Michael Richards) promises a boy in the hospital that he would get the right fielder to hit two home runs in a game in an effort to try to get back a birthday card for owner George Steinbrenner, signed by members of the Yankees, that he had sold.
While calling Wednesday’s Yankees game against the Houston Astros on the YES Network, fellow color commentator David Cone referred to O’Neill as a “star” for his work on the show.
Cone, O’Neill’s teammate from 1995 to 2000, then asked O’Neill if he still got residuals from the show.
“Yeah, they’re like 57 bucks,” O’Neill replied. “It’s not big time. It’s a good reminder, though, that you were on the show. It’s kinda cool.”
Play-by-play announcer Michael Kay quipped, “That’s a glass of wine for you at a nice restaurant.”
In addition to O’Neill, Yankees players Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Danny Tartabull and manager Buck Showalter also appeared on the series, while a stunt double was used for Steinbrenner that was voiced by co-creator Larry David (the real Steinbrenner did film a scene that was never used, but was never as open as the fake one to his mistake in trading Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps).
O’Neill had 15 multi-homer games in his career, including hitting three dingers on Aug. 31, 1995. (The game in the “Seinfeld” episode was not one of them, as an apparent inside-the-park home run was ruled a triple and he scored on an error.)
The Yankees retired his No. 21 in 2022.
Pitcher LaTroy Hawkins wore it in 2008, seven years after O’Neill retired, but was booed because of it, leaving it to be unofficially retired until it was officially honored in Monument Park.
O’Neill played for the Yankees from 1993 to 2001, after spending his previous eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.
